Speaking at the National Conference of Women Human Rights Defenders in Kampala, Lillian Byarugaba Adriko, the Team Lead at FIDA Uganda, noted that previous election cycles have seen increased harassment, intimidation, and digital attacks on rights advocates.
“The election period usually presents a risk for civil and political rights activists and defenders,” Adriko said. “We are calling on government to maintain the peace that has so far been observed and to ensure that civil and political rights defenders are protected as campaigns intensify.”
Adriko renewed calls for Parliament to urgently pass the Human Rights Defenders Protection Bill, saying it would create a legal framework to safeguard those advancing rights and freedoms.
She also emphasised the need for the National Legal Aid Bill and the Witness Protection Bill to strengthen access to justice and ensure the safety of those who report abuses.
She pointed to financial inequality as another barrier to women’s political participation, especially for young women who struggle to compete in increasingly commercialised electoral processes.
“Financial autonomy is critical in this period,” she said. “Empowerment does not mean having lots of money, but being able to participate in political processes without draining the limited resources you have.”
FIDA Uganda is further advocating for stronger digital safety measures, including capacity building within the justice system to prosecute online harassment and cyber surveillance targeting women activists.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has urged Uganda to continue strengthening justice and accountability systems to protect progress made in gender equality.
Sharon Lesa Nyambe, the UNODC Head of Office in Uganda, highlighted that sustainable growth depends on institutions that are fair, transparent, and trusted.
“When institutions are fair, transparent and trusted, development gains permanence. When they are weak or selective, progress becomes fragile,” Nyambe said.
She noted that UNODC, with support from the Government of the Netherlands, is working with justice actors to improve court administration, legal aid, prisoner rehabilitation, anti-corruption measures, and case management—efforts aimed at enabling safer environments for rights defenders.
Nyambe said Uganda has made significant strides in gender equality over the past three decades, but stressed that this is now the moment to consolidate and protect those gains.
“What stands before us now is the responsibility to protect what has been achieved and to strengthen it for generations,” she said. “This is the decade to make equality irreversible.”
Uganda is scheduled to hold its next general elections in early 2026.